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I have to teach "early bird" now and so, we couldn't go at our tradtional 6:00 time for pitchers and catchers. We have to start tonight and I have 73 kids trying out so far for Varsity and JV. Freshmen go later this week since we have some problems I can't discuss. We also have a basketball game at 7:30 and the softball team also has to have access to the gym and cage. FYI, our outdoor cages still aren't up from the tornado we had last fall. WOW THIS IS GOING TO BE FUN! I CAN'T WAIT TO GET STARTED!
Coach, can you please explain the logic behind or any possible benefit the kids get being required to wake up at 4:00am on school days to practice? Studies indicate the kids are already sleep deprived. This lends itself to a multitude of incindental problems including health and educational implications. Could the reason for the early practices be, it fits the coaches schedule? Please dont tell me it teaches discipline, that reminds me of football coaches that foolishly deny water breaks in an effort to build toughness. That is until a kid comes down with major organ damage. Whose needs are being met here the coaches or the kids?
quote:
Originally posted by slurve07:
Coach, can you please explain the logic behind or any possible benefit the kids get being required to wake up at 4:00am on school days to practice? Studies indicate the kids are already sleep deprived. This lends itself to a multitude of incindental problems including health and educational implications. Could the reason for the early practices be, it fits the coaches schedule? Please dont tell me it teaches discipline, that reminds me of football coaches that foolishly deny water breaks in an effort to build toughness. That is until a kid comes down with major organ damage. Whose needs are being met here the coaches or the kids?


It's a title IX thing in our school district. Our coach runs it so that the greatest burden is on varsity players and least on the freshman. Varsity is either very early or very late. Besides, waking up early is not a burden, it just needs to be planned for by starting sleep earlier. If the parents of those players allow their kids to stay up late the night before an early practice, how is that the coaches fault?

BTW, which studies are you referring to regarding sleep deprivation, or is that just something you saw on a 1 minute clip on the 10 o'clock news?

Slurve, for a new guy your posts seem kinda edgy. You have some axe to grind or agenda we should know about?
Last edited by CPLZ
quote:
Originally posted by slurve07:
Coach, can you please explain the logic behind or any possible benefit the kids get being required to wake up at 4:00am on school days to practice? Studies indicate the kids are already sleep deprived. This lends itself to a multitude of incindental problems including health and educational implications. Could the reason for the early practices be, it fits the coaches schedule? Please dont tell me it teaches discipline, that reminds me of football coaches that foolishly deny water breaks in an effort to build toughness. That is until a kid comes down with major organ damage. Whose needs are being met here the coaches or the kids?


I'm not one of those "weeder outers" as a coach. I don't run them till they puke so that they don't come back and I want the best look possible before I make cuts. One major rational is gym space. We too are very limited. Every sport gets equal access to the gyms. Therefore, if you have a limited amount of time in there you have to make some concession. Getting up early is nothing for us and the majority of our kids. We've been doing plyometric training/weight room since the 2nd week of September every morning at 6:00. I say "kids" since we've had at least 6-7 girl's s****r players that have matched our baseball boys this year along with a couple of track people. Our kids in general are used to this. Yes, we could go outside today. However, we are at a disadvantage since our cages are still down due to storm damage, our field is wet, and the light is limited. Finally, and as Bulldog19 alluded to, basketball playoffs start tonight. Our JV coach is the head basketball coach. Our team really supports their friends in that program. (Many are also baseball players.) We have to get done in enough time to afford them the ability to support the basketball program. wogdoggy asked about lifting and running. Our kids tonight will get evaluated hitting in our two cages inside, they will run 2 60 yard dashes, they will throw the equivalent of 125 feet (3rd to 1st) and will throw the equivalent of 200 feet to assess arm strenght. Pitchers will throw a "half-pen" minuse any sliders. They will also be told that they don't have to throw a curve if they don't want and it will not be counted against them. All in all, we have so much work to do, with such a small staff, and in such a short period of time that we have to make use of every second.

BTW, we have a very good hockey club that traditionally comes in first in its division. It starts playoffs tonight. As I was typing this, a couple of kids came in and let me know that they have a playoff game. I could be a jerk but why. They will get their work in and go. Hockey is not an IHSA event and so, they aren't excused from practice. However, they have worked hard and I believe they deserve the opportunity to help the hockey club advance.

All of this is just what we do. I'm not saying we know it all, are perfect, and/or are even close. It is what it is. I intend for it to be fun.
Our reason for being up that early is very simple... our gym time for today is 2:45-4:30, but with varsity basketball still going, that boots us to the morning. Sometimes at a school without good facilities, you have to make sacrifices... I'd rather not be up at 4am either.

We do normally do pitchers three days a week at 6:15 am, but that's for them to get individual work since all of our pitchers are two-way guys. It's the only time I get to see them individually. Once games start we don't go pitchers and catchers in the morning unless we have a long layoff.
quote:
Originally posted by Dodgers28:
Lets get back to baseball, St. Charles East hit the ground running this morning, pitchers and catchers at 5:30am. Get rid of this snow and in a few weeks we will be playing ball!


Dodgers28, you posted this and obviously, as a parent, are enthused that the season is off and running. However, you have just found out about people. Instead of the intent of the message being perceived with a matching exuberance, you find those naysayers of society attacking the coach etc. I find some of this interesting and somewhat reminiscent of others. Of course these various angles and opinions are what make this site to interesting.


Good luck this year to you and your son.
Last edited by CoachB25
Schools with a fieldhouse are at an advantage. Since we don't have one my son had 6am pratice and go until 7am. School starts at 7:30. They have conditioning after school. We are also hosting a basketball regional so that cuts down gym time for all. He was up at 5 and wanted to get to practice by 5:30 to help set up. He happens to be a team captain and takes the leadship role seriously. Cougar235, I bet most coaches won't take kindly to players showing up late no matter if they are a stud or not.
Coach thanks you usually bat around 400 in my book. I think this is a swing and miss. Kids at this age need rest as much as they need the endless supply of food they go through. As the father of four 2 teen boys and 2 preteen girls - i know firsthand that the boys respond better, conduct themselves better and are all around more pleasant to be around when rested. I played ball back in the day and i dont recall ever having ridiculous five am practices during the week. I think you and others are doing more harm than good. Let the kids rest! Think outside the box, perhaps utilize a park district facility or even a room in the building. Plyo workouts can be done anywhere, so the argument of limited facilities rings false.
Good luck to all the HS Freshman trying out. Brings back memories of when my son was a freshman and all the nervousness of the ENTIRE house during the week of tryouts. Now that he's graduated and moved on to college I find myself missing the anxiousness of waiting to see his face after school which would tell me if he survived the next round of cuts; I think he was more nervous then I was. Those days went much too fast, so enjoy the HS experience while you can.
At the beginning of the season when weather was poor he had 6 am when he was on Varsity. Had very good basketball and volleyball teams who use the gyms early evening, which allowed Fresh and Sophs to use gymns right after school. The early time helped him as he was on the hockey team which had practice after school. The first few weeks of the season were tough on him (during Varsity seasons) but he survived...and still maintained a +3.0 GPA.
slurve, Excuse me but I don't believe that the "argument of limited facilities rings false" at all. Our HS does not have a fieldhouse. There are athletes of multiple sports and genders all trying to use the same limited space. What generally happens is that the varsity baseball team might have 1 or 2 very early morning practices in a week, and later practices on other days. Then maybe the freshman or sophomore boys will come in early for a couple of days. But as has been said, basketball is still king and the main gym will belong to them during prime hours. The girls basketball team will use the auxiliary gym for their practices.

It isn't a great system or one which promotes 10 hour of sleep every evening, but for a short period of time I don't think it does any irreparable harm to the student/athlete.
Last edited by itsrosy
Shortage of facilities...

Currently we have one "big" gym. It's smaller than a lot of other gyms in the area which are considered "second" gyms. Also, we have another gym but it is only useful at this time of year for batting cage stuff. It is an even smaller gym floor AND it has our school fitness center in there so there's even more space taken. How do you expect a baseball team of 60 and a softball team of 25 to practice in there without going into long hours after school or possibly going before school?

Our freshmen boys basketball team practiced many times either at 7:30 PM or at 6:30 AM this year. Our weight room opens at 6:50 Tuesday and Thursday mornings and I know the football team lifts from 3-4:30 3 days a week after school.

I'm lucky because I have weights class so I get to lift during school. I don't get up until about 7:10 each morning. Once I get going with baseball that may change because there will be days where the batting cage will be available (optional) at 7 or thereabouts. That won't happen too often though because where our batting cage is at is also used to "babysit" kids before school.

Boy our coaches can't wait for the new school to open with it's large main gym, a smaller gym, possible additional wrestling room, separate weight room and fitness center and multiple fields. If only the State Legislature would get busy...


CoachB, you been to Jerseyville's new school?
It's clearly all about space. Our school does have a very large field-house type gym (and a few others as well) but if you think about all teams that are starting their seasons, it is impossible for all of them to be there at the same time unless all you want is a small space. With Frosh, Sophs and Varsity you are talking about 100 kids or more for baseball alone.

Going at 5:30 gives them a lot more space to work with and hopefully they can throw all across the building and not worry about beaning some girl hitting the birdie on the side. It's much ado about nothing. I don't mind seeing my son get up at that time, so long as he got to bed the night before.

Why would a coach want to get up so early if he didn't have to?
well i guess it comes down to gym space we never had early practice cause i went to a chicago public school and we only got about 15-18 kids come out anyways, we took grounders in the hallway or small girls gym (cause there was no badminton) we ran the hallways and stairs (with the track team) for conditioning, and took bp in the wrestling room and the pitchers pitched in the small girls gym but i guess when you have 75 kids come out and tryout like the suburban schools you cant do that
Slurve,

This has become a tradition at STCE. Is it a pain, yes, but what else can be done. Our pitchers go from 5:30 to 7:00am and then everyone goes from 5:00 to 7:00pm. We simply do not have the space. we have a large sports center that is in use all of the time, we also have indoor track, softball, badmitton as well as drill team and many others. One good thing is I always know where my son is this time of year, in bed - LOL. CoachB25, best of luck to your team as well.
Thanks been. Cplz no axe to grind other than after standing on the sidelines for a long time, just got tired of reading a lot of self-serving garbage. it is the opinion of the writer that many of the experts here are in it for themselves not the kids. They like to take center stage and whatever position they take on subject is the "right" position. It would be nice to see some of these coaches and self proclaimed experts appear to be in it for the right reasons. Just seems that this isnt the case. Now i hope i dont get in trouble for voicing my opinion or concerns. And i really hope this isnt to edgy
I edited my message since it would have served no positive purpose.

We had a great day today! A bunch of kids trying out, we were able to go outside and get our 60s timed, throw and then throw long for the arm strength test and then we hit in 6 stations inside. I hope all went well for everyone. I am blessed to have a bunch of great kids that helped today under some very trying conditions. Sorry but I can't explain this statement. Looking forward to the next 2 days and then we'll have the team made. We had some surprises today as well. Surprises are very good at this time of year!

Take care and, again, good luck!
quote:
Originally posted by slurve07:
Thanks been. Cplz no axe to grind other than after standing on the sidelines for a long time, just got tired of reading a lot of self-serving garbage.


Yet in another thread, you said, "I think the self promoters are entertaining. Lets keep personal opinions out of this." That was just yesterday.

Which is it slurve?
Last edited by CPLZ
I agree with FBDad on this one. Due to basketball and other sports we had guys in the gym between 5:00 and 9:30 last night. It doesn't look like we will be outside for a while. Our guys did an outstanding job with a lot of distractions. I can't imagine how bad they'll be itching to go out in two weeks. We are supposed to open up on March 15th and it doesn't look too promising. Good luck to all of the players at tryouts and all of the coaches making some difficult decisions this week.
I'm not one of those "weeder outers" as a coach. I don't run them till they puke so that they don't come back and I want the best look possible before I make cuts


If you didnt run prior to tryouts or you didnt weight lift or you didnt get to the 5'45 am practice..you may get "WEEDED OUT"

if you cant get up ..do you want it bad enough
if you wont weightlift...etc
wogdoggy, I hope you didn't take my post as critical of anyone else. If so, I didn't mean it that way. I agree with what you posted. I do think it strange that some would question a coach who doesn't get a stipend to run plyos/weightroom in the morning where no roll is taken and players don't have to come. We offer that as a service BUT both boys and girls take advantage of it and I'd say at least 6 sports teams. They are there because they want to be there. Of course there was once this guy that walked upon the earth to end human suffering. People found fault with him! JMHO!
Wog thats another topic of contention these kids shouldn"t put a finger on a weight until the growth plate has fused. Not just because its unsafe, primarily because of the lack of supervision and the obvious fact that kids this age tend to showoff which leads to attempting too much weight which inturn increases the risk of injury. My older boy flirted with 90 last summer my younger boy 2010 hits the low 80's both look like they lift weights but never have all plyo, med ball, isometrics and pushups etc, they have three pitches 2 and 4 seem and a change. Both have never attempted a breaking ball and neither will be allowed until college. Coaches that introduce this stuff be it hs or travel are doing your kid a diservice.
Coach, Just curious do you allow your underclassmen to throw breaking balls? Im sure your seniors do just interested to know your stance on this. What would you say to a parent that told you his kid isnt to be shown a breaking ball? I am also particular about the pitch count. I say how much he can throw not his coaches. How would you deal with me?
Slurve, I like your style! We dont have any early morning practices and I usually tell our guys if they want to practice after school or if they want to go home and sleep that is fine as well. We dont throw any breaking balls or lift weights at all in the whole program. I tell the guys to wait until they are 35 years old before they start doing that.
Rip, right on we call that the method of educating children that stresses development thru the the childs own initiative. You may have heard of the institution called Montessori. Two boys went thru it two girls still in it older boy 30 act younger boy straigjht A's so far as a freshman two girls still attending and love it. Did you hear the initiative in san francisco to do. away with homework? That sounds silly to you, do some research before you launch an attack. Sorry guys, but teaching and allowing the breaking stuff is not good joke about it but i have been around long enough to see kids get burned out bad by travel and hs coaches, stood by and watched a thirteen year old throw over a hundred pitches. Wish i could have stopped it but it was the coaches son. So go ahead joke away because you know what i will be waiting by the softball field for you. That is where most of us dads end up and our kids too. Dont kid yourself.
Wog thats another topic of contention these kids shouldn"t put a finger on a weight until the growth plate has fused. Not just because its unsafe, primarily because of the lack of supervision and the obvious fact that kids this age tend to showoff which leads to attempting too much weight which inturn increases the risk of injury. My older boy flirted with 90 last summer my younger boy 2010 hits the low 80's both look like they lift weights but never have all plyo, med ball, isometrics and pushups etc, they have three pitches 2 and 4 seem and a change. Both have never attempted a breaking ball and neither will be allowed until college. Coaches that introduce this stuff be it hs or travel are doing your kid a diservice.



I agree with the growth plate theory stuff,,seems like when kids start to lift they quit growing upwards..Just look at your schools wrestlers,,they come in at 150lbs as freshman and leave at the same height and weight..Personally i feel if a kid wants to opt out on weightlifting it should have ZERO impact if he is considered for the team or not...
you must do this to qualify to play this..Thats bull..


when i was in hs ,,before dirt was invented,,,having to run cross country actually made me quit basketball,,
Not to be a budinski, but I do NOT think the big problem is in throwing the curveball at 14,15, etc. but rather the fact that a kid throws 100 pitches in a game on Monday and then comes back in relief two days later!!! Way toooooo much pitching.

Learn to throw the curve correct, and then limit yourself to 10-15 in a game. I've seen kids throw 50% curveballs, or more....IMO......not good. Talk to some minor league coaches, they will limit kid's curveballs in the pros so they are forced to work on a changeup & fastball command. Why not follow their lead??? Just a thought.
quote:
Originally posted by wogdoggy:
Coaches that introduce this stuff be it hs or travel are doing your kid a diservice.


And it can take years for the damage to present.

Unfortunately, I have spent way too many hours and money with orthopedic surgeons lately. The shoulder doctor told us he is seeing more injuries in young kids than ever before---and he is attributing it to playing one sport year round. He said you need to shut down for a period of months to let your body rest.

We are in new territory with the advent of all of travel ball and year round training. The first wave of athletes who began in the travel circles are in college. It would be curious to track any arm injuries as compared to the athletes of 10 years ago---and if all of this travel stuff continues at the rate it's going, to those who are just starting out now......I'm sure the studies have already begun.

Oh--and it's not just baseball--he mentioned softball (position players, not the pitchers), volleyball, and swimming as being particularly injurious to young bodies.
Last edited by play baseball
play baseball,

You've made a lot of valid points. We too have a history with orthopedic surgeons, as I've said before. Dr. James Andrews certainly advocates shutting down for a period after the fall season is completed and promotes a regimen of exercises aimed soley at injury prevention. Take a look at Rice University. Arguably one of the very top D1 programs in the country. I believe that I read that ALL of their pitchers that have been drafted in the past few years have required either elbow or shoulder surgery shortly after turning professional. Your point that it can take years for the damage to present is being shown to be 100% true.
Itsrosey, I agree Andrews is one of the best, I wish some of the dads here would open up the mind a little. Do a little research talk to some people particularly parents of kids that have gone thru TJ surgery look at some xray footage of the damage done to 12 year olds. I think this board is teeming with dads that think they know it all because the were all city team twenty years ago. Heck i dont know it all i like to think that i do. When it comes to kids and the overt and not so overt abuse put upon them by certain hs and travel coaches, someone needs to take an active role in protecting the kids. Note to wander i was thinking about breaking out the use of double-entendre and irony so be careful before you respond ya better check with rosey first. I hear cplz has jammed the pm feature calling for a full field investigation of yours truly. Coach has his hand over the banned button the doomsday clock is inching closer to midnight.
Lifting weights can be safely accomplished using various programs based upon age groups, weight, etc. It is incumbent in any program to have their coaching staff certified in specific and appropraite weight programs. We lift Bigger Faster Stronger. I and my staff are certified. Our players lift under prescribed regiments which are recorded on a computer program so that they not only know their workouts but see their progression. BTW, programs such as BFS, require extensive technique training before an athlete ever picks up a weight. We start with "form" training in 8th grade. If you think that there exist any collegiate program in the nation that doesn't lift then you're silly. Same with the plyometric program. FYI, there is consider information out there from reputable sources regarding age appropriate lifting. My daughter is 13 and 5'8" tall. She has been doing age appropriate lifing under the BFS guidelines (box squats, etc.) for over a year. She is very strong for her age and shows no negative signs of lifting. As a Father I'd never let my child do any activity that I thought would injure her. If its good enough for our boys to do, the girls deserve the same opportunities.

Regarding the curve. It easy enough to learn how to throw a curve that is safe. What I would suggest to you is that kids aren't taught correctly, experiment on their own, find that curve that hurts their arm and because they don't know the difference, throw the bad curve. JMHO!

NOW BACK TO THE TOPIC -- SEASON BEGINS!

First cuts after today's practice. We've had them out a couple of days and should get the tryout completed before the rain sets in. We will still have a couple of more cuts. I was "cut" twice in my high school career. Simply put, I didn't act right. When I got my act together and because I was fortunte to have a teacher that saw the good in me, I was recommended to the head coach as someone he should pay attention to. He kept me and we went on to have a great HS career. Knowing all of this, I feel for the young men that won't be in our program and know that level of hurt. Good luck to all of the players and coaches today.
Cplz, I dont think thats needed, but thanks for thinking of me. I didn't love the screen name either but asked my 14 year old to come up with something cool. Something about a cross between a slider and a curve ball??couldn't hurt his feelings.
On that note i wanted to congratulate you on your sons acceptance to a fine school. Thats also a neat web site you created for him. Did you attend many showcases on the way up? did you take an active role in getting his name out there? What about recruiting services, did you utilize any?
Great thanks now my youngest is calling me slurpy. Heres the problem, weight lifting at a young age isd counterproductive it places way too much stress on the grtowth plate, ligament and tendons. I have been hearing about numerous weight lifting related injuries. I applaud having certified staff on hand. Great, however they cant watch everyone and thats exactly when injuries occur. Kids liifting too much, trying to keep up with the others. I know of schools where they send home the sheet that lists who benches what or dead lifts that. Come on, if you dont see that as a recipe for disaster i dont what is. As for breaking balls i dont buy thre theory of a correct way. The supposed wrist curv not good heres why, they find a way to snap the elbow. Yes they do when they see the faster sharper break guess what, yes the arm slot changes and next comes the taxing of the elbow. Bottom line is this: good diet, lots of cardio, plyo, iso, med ball, stretch bands, posterior chain and core work coupled with a good agility - flexibility routine. No breaking stuff until done growing, master the change of speeds and locate the 2 and 4 seemer. Whats the frequency trhit?
Slurpe,
Your can't state both sides of an argument based on which suits your point better.

You told us that your son had a 30 ACT and claimed that was learned behavior and education from montesorri school

Then you claim that kids aren't capable of performing learned behavior or implementing good education at a young age and because of that, even in spite of certified supervision are risking immenent injury by lifting weights.

If we were to follow the logic of your argument we wouldn't let our kids cross the street for fear that in spite of having learned to looked both ways, they choose to ignore it. Personally, I give my kids a lot more credit than that.

No breaking stuff until done growing, would mean that my son, an 07, wouldn't start throwing breaking stuff until college, as he's still growing. Xrays have shown both his elbow and shoulder to be in perfect shape, in spite of throwing curveballs since 13yo. At the Southeastern Baseball Showcase last fall, a White Sox scout called my sons curveball major league ready, hard with a late sharp break. The empirical evidence in place, then shows at least one example of a growing boy throwing hard breaking stuff, with no damage.
Last edited by CPLZ
CPLZ,

I'm with you on most of the points you've made here, and in your previous posts. However, I can't agree with your assesment that because your son has had X-rays of his elbow and shoulder that he's out of the woods. I'm happy for his success and wish him much more in the future. But why the curves at 13? What do you really win when you're 13? Wouldn't the changeup have been a reasonable option? I'm just asking.

Back to the X-ray. They're only worth something if there is fear of a fracture or to check the growth plates. Only an arthrogram along with an MRI can determine what is really going on inside an elbow or shoulder. Unfortunately we know; we've been there. JMO.

Again, good luck to your son this spring and summer.
Last edited by itsrosy
Thanks for the input, it sure beats the quips and snide comments. Your argument is noted. Im guessing your son received private lessons and attended all the right camps and was exposed to all the right instructors. I would even offer that you stood by and watched that pitch count. I'm glad your son made it througjh ok particularly the travel ball route. The empiracle evidence is that a lot of the kids out there dont have all the advatages as our little guys. If you were allowing jr. To snap off curve balls at 13 i'm sorry i think your nuts. The vast majority of these kids today have already done damage including causing degenerative compartmernt change in the rotator and elbow region one orthopedic specialist told me the wear and tear they are seeing isd just staggering and they are seeing younger and younger patients. We are talking kids at 13 and 14 neeing TJ surgery, unicompartmental shoulder replacement, articular surface degeneration in kids not old enough to drive. That being said take your empiracle evidence and show it to the next set of parents that aren't as educated in all things baseball like you. One more thing i bet you were right there making sure jr. Shut down when needed and you stopped the travel coach when he wanted one more inning out of jr. Who was looking out for the kid with the single mom or absent father? I highly doubt it was you, i can just tell by your signature!
My knowledge of the specifics of baseball athletically and mechanics, you can fit in a thimble. If any of you ever need advice on a good crossover dribble or jump shot, I'm your guy.

I have been completely reliant on people I would ignorantly place my trust in. It turns out that my ignorance did not come back to haunt me and apparently stumbled onto some good choices.

The 13yo curveball, was when he was just starting pitching lessons, and thinking about it now, my son was just a couple months short of 14 and entering HS. The coach that taught it to him, assured me that if taught correctly and monitored the way he was going to, there would be minimal risk of damage because of it.

I had him xrayed based on the advice of a friend. His concern was growth plates and he said that they would be able to check the basis for the joints, although certainly not as in depth as other tests.

As to taking the reins with regards to coaching relations, never have. The coaches he played for always knew his pitch counts and I never once saw them abuse it. Some of that probably had to do with the fact that my son has always been one of the more physically immature kids on the team (until recently) and would obviously get gassed neccesitating pulling him.

I do feel quite a bit more educated this year, having had the benifit of talking to many college pitching coaches during the recruiting process. A couple of the things that they warned me of were to make sure he had enough rest between starts and be careful early and late in the season with the amount he pitches, i.e. work up in innings gradually and don't be too quick to come back and pitch too quickly in the state playoffs.
Slurveman here, i made a mistake when i mentioned "he flirted with 90" upper 80's that sometimes look like theres more in the tank. I dont want to put undue scrutiny or attention on him. I dont create pretentious home pages or web sites pages that "highlight" my kids like some here. I dont waste money on showcases or expensive travel clubs. I shouldn't have asserted or boasted about the velocity. It wont happen again. Sulltiger here is your chance to once again tell us how great jr. is. I'm pretty sure you have covered this many, many times before but here goes. What hs team what travel team and how high is jr rated by the all the so-called scouts and rating services? I would ask cplz but "everyone" knows already. Sulltigerman just one more how much $ have you dropped on showcases private lessons and "travel ball expenses?
Slurpe,
Your ignorance is only surpassed by your arrogance.

Tell me, just who the hell are you to pass judgement on people that you would blatently slam them by telling them their sons website is pretentious or their participation in showcases or travel programs are a waste of money? How arrogant are you that you think that all your decisions (montisorri school, North Shore Country Day, no weights, etc.)are above reproach, yet someone who sends their children to public schools, plays travel baseball, goes to showcases, uses the web as a promotional tool, is pretentious and money wasting?

My son attended two showcases, both because in spite of what beenthere thinks, he was throwing 90 and no one knew about him (Southeastern Baseball Showcase Results for showcase results for those who doubt that statement). He played travel ball one year, between Soph & Junior. In addition he traveled to Jupiter, FL to play in Perfect Games Tournament. All these were in an effort to get him exposure to college coaches to allow him to continue HIS BASEBALL DREAM at the next level.

His website is informational in nature to promote him to the colleges that would be interested in seeing his academic qualifications, baseball and personal info, judge his ability/potential and give them a convenient schedule of where they can scout him.

Now what, you'll formulate another bogus argument about how this behavior is detrimental and throw out some email gossip about knowing it from some unnamed study?

You really are a tool.
Last edited by CPLZ
You know, I think it amazing how someone can come on this board every so often with new screen names and take over with snide remarks and put downs and then claim, "this should be about the kids." I think even Ray Charles, who was blind and now dead could see that this person's posts have nothing to do about kids. I say that with all due respect to Mr. Charles.

Not sure how much others have spent on their kids over the years on showcases, travel teams, lessons and such, but I can tell you our family has spent plenty. AND I WOULDN'T CHANGE A THING! See, we used these as bonding experiences and when the travel teams played in far away destinations we used those as family trips. I can tell you we have loved every minute of it. We are a baseball family and from San Diego to Jupiter and from Cooperstown to San Antonio we have spent and learned, but isn't that what "families" do? Why do we need to take snide comments from some wannabe about how much our familes have spent? I just don' get that comment? Sounds real ignorant. Not every family takes the same path to get their sons or daughters to the places we want to see them go, so why the backhanded remarks? Our journy's end is on the horizon and it is becoming ever so clear as the days go by and our son will soon be out on his own to sink or swim. I have no doubts that he will be able to make it on his own due to the money and diligence we have spent.
My own father asked me the other day if I could go back and change the way we did or went about things on this long journey. Of course I would tinker a little bit, but for the most part I wouldn't change a thing and judging by all the wonderful things, the people we have met and talked to and the scholarship offers I know that to be true.

Thanks to many here on this web site, you know, the one who actually lets you post comments, be they good or bad, smart or dumb. Some things might get deleted and I'm ok with that and at least the HS Baseball Web doesn't advertise as an open forum that all can contribute to and then only put on what the board dictator wants and for the most part is only put downs. Life must be miserable for that particular individual.

I think I'll fade back into the background like many others obviously have since February 25th and just wait for the smoke to clear before I come out again.
You crazed travel dads. Look we have dialogue going on where, a college team suffered a tragic loss, another member of this community is helping a friend through a tough time. And all we have out of you guys......my kids better than your kid....god forbid who is the tool here? Enough with the name calling? I am done here. Cplz you are the worst offender, I kind of respect the guy who makes it on his own. Kids that are coddled just dont make my cut. I will take the quiet leader, the kid who leads by example, the kid without the white elephant daddy in the front yard putting up the billboards. They do that in the south for hs football players do they do that in lake zurich? Just because I disagree with your way overboard pretentious behavior, you feel it neccessary to call me names? Sorry to inform you, not everyone is as enamored with you as you. Traveldad, you know me? I dont know you, why is that? And where does your little superstar play ?
My son loved baseball and had some talent. So I sent him for lessons so that he learned the right way to do things to improve and not hurt himself. I did the same for my daughters, who were swimmers. Our philosophy was to expose the kids to many things when they were young, music, sports, etc. If they liked something, we would then encourage them and help them along.
After my son's lessons, he wanted to compeete with kids on his level to have fun and get better. House didn't provide him the competition, so we found good travel teams. WE went to one showcase as an incoming freshman to see what it was like. He had fun, but we won't do any others until the high school coach recommends he go.
Yes, we had great fun traveling as a family to tournaments.
My point is I don't understand the showcase, travel, website attacks. For us, what ever we did flowed naturally from what level my son was on. If we think a web site is a necessary step, we'll do that. You do what you feel is best for your kid, and not let your ego get in the way. Sometimes that is tough, and some do want refected glory from their kids.
There was an article in our local paper last year about Soxnole and his talented and obviously well liked son. He said he spent 50k on baseball. Maybe he get most or all of it back in scolarship money, but it is clear, you are not going to make a profit on baseball scholarships than the money you spend on lessons and other expenses. You do it out of love for you kid. The lessons they learn about life and the friendships they make are what the whole process should be about. We are not perfect, and we all make mistakes. Hopefully, we are doning it for the right reasons.
Bballdad54, I respect that! You are clearly on the right path and seem secure in your approach. Some of the dads here, i fear are suffering from identity crisis. They are obviously living vicariously through the offspring. What drives these guys? An insatiable appetite for attention. I can just envision these guys at a showcase sizing up the competition, sizing up the other dads. What are these guys going to do when the jr's head off to college or decide its not their dream to play the game anymore? I wonder do the end up as jaded disenchanted and bitter old timers? Just curious of course!
My position is polarizing yet needed, the parents of younger kids should read this and understand that you can be successful and have fun at this game without blowing your next egg needlessly. It can be done without playing on elitist snobby travel teams, without blowing big bucks on needless showcases, without pandering to scouts or wasting even more money on web sites and self promotional material. All you need to do is find a good team, work hard but dont over do it, keep the grades up and keep it fun. Some of the dads here take this way to seriously! It's baseball relax let the kids enjoy it. Only a small percent will play in college and a smaller percent will possibly go pro. So break out the 16 inch softball, fire up the grill and lets all sit around the campfire and here all about cplz's accomplishments.

Traveldad still waiting where does your allstar guy play?
Seeds, what happened Feb. 25th?

As far as the rest of this goes, I would say that my son and I fell into the middle on this whole thing.

He has played some Travel and has had paid coaches and a Showcase or two along the way. Spent some money there to be sure. Spent more time at College Camps where the cost was more in the travel expense. Had some great times. A time or two it seemed like too much but on balance, I'm with Baseballdad's opinion.

No, my son will not likely make a living off baseball, in fact it is not what he wants.....but baseball is a big part of the reason my son got into the school of his choice. As he will tell you, he used baseball to get where he wanted to be. It was worth it.

Slurve, why all the hostility? Very few of these guys brag about their kids......others may comment but I don't see much bragging. What's wrong with a father being invloved with their kid in a time when so many families are split up and soem fathers don't even see their kids every week? Or other fathers that are so busy with their career that they have no time for their kids? All the time and money spent with your son or daughter is well worth it.

CPLZ's son could have gone many places to play baseball, but chose to go to a place where he will serve us all. I can't think of a better reason to make such an investment of either time, money or energy. If doing the things that he did is what got him there, then it was worth it without question.
Slurpy,
Deflecting a question with a question...Hmm. Sounds familiar.

And for the record, I too value the whole experience of travel ball as precious time spent with my son. Both my wife and I grew up without the benefit of both mom and dad in the house. There were no baseball, basketball and track meets attended. Same for my wife. The value of long drives, flights, and hotels will never be measured in dollars. My wife and I decided as she was first pregnant that we would spend significant time individually as well as together with our son. It's an opportunity for us to witness the ups and downs of his career. We'll be there to hold and encourage on the downs. We'll be there humble tears of pride when all is good. Your perception of this family (HSBBW) as wanting to live through their kids is so far off it's incredible...we want what is best for our kids and also to share the triumphs and tragedies with others that understand.

I think all these experiences (travel, showcases, private instruction etc,) that you so despise and criticize others for are great avenues for these kids to realize their true athletic potential. And the road to true potential is filled with life lessons that will be usefull in whatever profession they may choose in life, not to mention galvanize in them a desire to support their own kids.

And when my 3 year old daughter tries something, you can bet this "daddyballer" (your term) will be there too, with checks in hand.
FBD, I believe that Feb 25th is the day that Slurve first paid us a visit.

This is an interesting thread, IMO. We've got some posters here who, in the past, have had their differences, myself included. But, it seems that none of us would change much at all with regards to the time, energy, and money spent to afford our son's the opportunity for them to become the best that they can be. All of those long, arduous road trips in the summer are just a wonderful opportunity to spend time with my son, let us get to know each other and develp a bond that is stronger than ever. A few big hits and a few big pitches along the way sure were exciting. I love every minute of it, and so does he.

I resent someone coming on board and telling me, and us, that we're just plain wrong and almost to the point of saying that we've been bad parents. You raise your children the way you wish, and I'll raise mine the way I wish. I wouldn't think of telling you that your way is wrong, just don't criticize me (and us) for what we've tried to do.
Traveldad, well done off you go. Good luck and thanks for making demands on me then not answering my question. Look I don't have a blanket dislike for all things travel ball just the crazed guys who get way too involved. My point is this: some of you guys are misguided and need to be called on it.
Not everyone should feel compelled to follow your approach, thats it, i just wanted to show some of the parents and kids that you dont have to go that route. Nothing that sinister, not everyone can hand out the money to the showcases, instructors, lessons, travel expenses. What kind of message are you sending to the kids that visit here that dont have dads like you? Your kids are lucky. What do you think is going on in the minds of kids that dont have deep pocketed involved dads? What about the kids that must scrape to buy their own mitt and bat. And then have to watch your kid show up with two $300 bats, $400 mitt and stories of all the super travel tournaments hes going to. When all that kid has to look forward to is some time wasting hs summer ball and rec league stuff. You dont think your approach doesnt affect others? Well it does, and the kids and parents that are affected should know that if their kid puts in the effort and works his *A off he too can make it. Not just the scions of personal agent daddyballers. . Who does your kid play for traveldad?
quote:
Originally posted by slurve07:
What drives these guys? An insatiable appetite for attention.


quote:
Originally posted by slurve07:
My point is this: some of you guys are misguided and need to be called on it.



Slurpe,
That finger that you have pointing at people...find a mirror in your house and you'll see who that finger should be pointing at.
Last edited by CPLZ
I want to start this off by saying that I do not have any children so I do not know what it is like.

But I will tell you that as a former player and now a coach, I do not think that there is a right answer to the travel, showcase, website, etc. debate being had here. As long as what you do as a parent is in the best interest of your son and it is what he wants then it is correct. The answer changes with each individual player. I had a father that would send me anywhere I asked (even if it meant he had to get a second job) and that was great. I am very thankful for that. I also had players that were good at it but did not enjoy the game and had fathers that pushed the stuff. That must be tough on a kid.

There is no answer. No one way is the correct way. Be a good parent and do everything that your son wants. It may be going to showcases, it may be to stay out of his business. Keep your son in mind when you make decisions.
quote:
Originally posted by slurve07:
Traveldad, well done off you go. Good luck and thanks for making demands on me then not answering my question. Look I don't have a blanket dislike for all things travel ball just the crazed guys who get way too involved. My point is this: some of you guys are misguided and need to be called on it.
Not everyone should feel compelled to follow your approach, thats it, i just wanted to show some of the parents and kids that you dont have to go that route. Nothing that sinister, not everyone can hand out the money to the showcases, instructors, lessons, travel expenses. What kind of message are you sending to the kids that visit here that dont have dads like you? Your kids are lucky. What do you think is going on in the minds of kids that dont have deep pocketed involved dads? What about the kids that must scrape to buy their own mitt and bat. And then have to watch your kid show up with two $300 bats, $400 mitt and stories of all the super travel tournaments hes going to. When all that kid has to look forward to is some time wasting hs summer ball and rec league stuff. You dont think your approach doesnt affect others? Well it does, and the kids and parents that are affected should know that if their kid puts in the effort and works his *A off he too can make it. Not just the scions of personal agent daddyballers. . Who does your kid play for traveldad?


Slurpe,
Please do share with the class all your experience with economic and social blight that you dig so deep to bring out and share with us from your investment banking firm and residence in Bannockburn. How oppressive is it these days at North Shore Country Day School in Winnetka? I didn't realize that they had switched conferences and were now playing in the CPS league where you gained all this first hand experience and interaction.

Once again, we are supposed to genuflect and bow to the great Slurpy, here for our enlightenment and salvation.
Last edited by CPLZ
I guess that the slurveman doesnt realize that one of the purposes of the board ( especially for the parent of a player ...duuh !!) is to let it be known where the kid is attending school . Obviously you didnt have all your bases covered when you came on here to post.

I also find it very very very very veeerrry interesting that somehow someone from the faraway sleepy rich town of bannockburn ( no offense to those who actually might live there ) who just popped up on the board claiming to have a kid throwing major heat ( 90 ) , somehow knows traveldad who lives way way far away from bannockburn and is also interested ( see differenmt thread ) in how many games traveldads kid plays .

Slurve..you are a fraud posting bogus information and now everyone here knows it.
Last edited by sulltiger24
Sulltiger the great wizard, are you attempting to analyze my signature?

Cplz I was born in a box car in west virginia and spent my formative years living in van down by the river. I walked 6 miles to school barefoot everyday in the snow.
All that and I never put up one billboard for my kid.

Classes offered
Conspiracy theory by Sulltiger
Embellishment 101 by cplz
Effusion and effusive praise of your children by traveldad
Language: Braggadocio by cplz feature class in cockiness and arrogant display and manner
Sulltiger, I may have missed something in your investigative report. Do tell us all under what pretext (I will explain that to you) what is my motive assumed in order to conceal the true purpose? If your report indicates anything other than my sincere effort to take some of the posters to task over their overzealous pursuit of the dream. To awaken some from the blurry haze of showcases and travelball or to shine a light on what ails and clouds the judgment of so many...if not you are mistaken
...AND WHAT WAS THE TOPIC OF THIS THREAD?

Please, PLEASE can we get along? The following might be choppy since I'm very tired.

I've seen some amazing stuff in this past week. It bodes well for all of us - this thing called youth. My kids have been through an amazing week. We don't have an batting cages outside. The wind is 30+ miles an hour, it is 28 degrees, and snowing. We have a craft fair in our gyms Friday, Saturday and tomorrow. NO place to practice. We made room and went to one of our barns to improvise a practice one or two at a time. We practiced today from 9:30 to 2:30 a few at a time. We started this morning at 6:00 in the morning helping crafters set up their booths as a favor to the booster club. (our school only has one for all sports) and they left collectively as a team talking about how they were going to see my assistant coach in the hospital in St. Louis. For the past few days because of other tragic circumstances, I've been the only paid coach in practice. YET, they believe in our program, love the game and have busted butt. THE SEASON HAS BEGUN!
Well said, coach! There are things in life more important than this petty war of words. Keep it all in perspective.

Someone needs to be the bigger man and let this topic get back to the season and more importantly the student athlete.

How was everyone elses week 1 of practice??

By the way...I am pulling for your team Coach and more importantly your asst. Get some rest.
CoachB, good to hear you find a way to improvise.

Also, sorry to hear about your assistant coach. Let us know if there's anything we can do.

Woke up this morning not expecting there to be snow. I would have much preferred to catch pitchers this morning out in the bullpen rather than the gym.

Good news, it must be getting warmer in the next 48 hours. Coach Vogel said we was going outside on Monday!

20 days til our first game!
quote:
What kind of message are you sending to the kids that visit here that dont have dads like you? Your kids are lucky. What do you think is going on in the minds of kids that dont have deep pocketed involved dads? What about the kids that must scrape to buy their own mitt and bat. And then have to watch your kid show up with two $300 bats, $400 mitt and stories of all the super travel tournaments hes going to. When all that kid has to look forward to is some time wasting hs summer ball and rec league stuff. You don't think your approach doesn't affect others?


Isn't this America? Opportunity is equal not fair. How is a strong work ethic effected by the cost of gloves and bats? Slurve don't impoverished kids see Cadillac commercials and trips to Disney on t.v.? It's o.k. to go without, it makes you appreciate it more when you finally have it. While I am not a proponent of travel ball (for a myriad of reasons) I see no reason to categorize or condemn the whole institution. I do resent the reference to wasting time in a hs summer league.

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